


A New Kind of Warmth

by Cortlander



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Drugs, F/F, Firebender Asami Sato, Korrasami is Canon, Mako never dated anybody what are you talking about, Sickfic, Slow Burn, they're all just really good friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28395093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cortlander/pseuds/Cortlander
Summary: The fight against the Equalists separates Asami from her father, and the chi-blocking drugs he'd been giving her since she was a child.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 52
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NoodleTheSecond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoodleTheSecond/gifts).



Asami Sato loved her father. She admired him and what he did for the world, for her. So when Chief Beifong ripped away his workshop floor to reveal a tunnel that ran so far beneath the estate that she could barely see the end, well, denial was understandably her first reaction.

Denial, and more importantly- fear.

She hated how quickly her mind worked in that moment. Each second was a new flimsy hypothesis to throw up and tear down, each excuse becoming harder and harder to justify. She wasn’t stupid. She knew what this meant.

Asami was vaguely aware of people moving past her. The clang of boots on metal faded as Beifong’s forces made their way down the staircase. It taunted her- like a great black and red maw with iron banisters for teeth- ready to swallow her whole. She clasped her shaking hands to her chest.

Korra took her in her arms, her eyes holding nothing but regret. If Asami had been of the right mind to comprehend them, the Avatar’s words would probably have been very wise. As it was, her mind was elsewhere. She almost wished Korra would be smug, blameable so she could have someone other than her father to rage against. But she wasn’t. She was kind; understanding, sorry, and right. Right about everything.

No, maybe there was a legitimate explanation for all this. Just because she couldn’t think of one didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Hiroshi was a genius after all, he wouldn’t work for someone like Amon without reason.

Korra gave her one last pitying glace before following Beifong down those damned steps. Mako and Bolin weren't far behind, and then she was alone with an unconscious metalbender and her father’s torn-apart workshop.

Spirits, they were going to hurt him, weren't they? 

If he was involved there would be interrogations; Future Industries would be ruined. Councilman Tarrlok wouldn’t give a damn if he was manipulated, the man just wanted someone to blame. Asami felt a familiar heat rise in her core, the unfocused burning of fever behind her eyes. She fumbled for the little bottle of pills in her jacket. 

The cap clicked off and she swallowed two just to be safe. The small high they gave her settled her nerves, and she began to make her way down that awful staircase. 

Asami needed to see for herself what her father had done.

\------

How could she have been so stupid? 

Tomorrow was going to be a mess. Korra had managed to convince the Chief to keep away until the morning (quite the feat Asami knew, she had done the same for Hiroshi many times), but the fallout couldn’t be delayed forever. Being on Air Temple Island wouldn’t stop the media from swarming once they caught wind of what happened.

She should prepare a speech for that. Something about the core values of the company not being reflected in its former CEO. But would that really be true? She had seen the extent of the catacombs beneath the estate- that level of workmanship required thousands of specialists. Just how much of Future Industries was tied to the Equalists? Could the company be salvaged? Perhaps, but just the thought of all the work she’d have to do made her head spin. First it would be a matter of unfreezing their assets; then screening the key workers, Future Industry’s stock price was already crashing so winning back investors-

A gentle knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Asami?" Korra's voice. "I uh, brought tea." She sounded nervous.

Asami turned from her place at the window and forced a smile. She probably needed the distraction. “Thank you Korra, I appreciate it.” (She really did.)

The Avatar eased open the door with her foot and looked up hopefully. The mugs on the small tray she was carrying clinked. “Are you okay? I-I mean, I know you’re probably not- today was awful and I’m really, really sorry about your dad. I knew something was up, but I was also super insensitive and-”

“It’s alright.” Asami interrupted, holding up her hands to stop the torrent of words. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, it’s my fault for not noticing what my father was doing.”

Korra placed the tray on a small table in the center of the room. Her earlier ramblings were now replaced by a look of quiet concern. “It wasn’t your fault at all. Why would you think that?”

Asami sighed and looked away. If the other girl’s face was any indication she wasn’t going to convince her otherwise, and there was no point in arguing the nuances of her guilt if neither of them were willing to budge. 

A few minutes passed before Korra made a clumsy attempt to fill the silence. “...So how are you finding the island?”

Air Temple Island was fascinating. The buildings were all wood and cloth, very different from the traditional Fire Nation designs of the Sato mansion- she had never seen anything like it. A series of pipelines were built into the walls of each room, angled in such a way that the temperature could be regulated without the need for artificial heating. Such architecture could never be used in her homeland, one wayward spark could set the whole place alight. But here, surrounded by water? It was a beautiful piece of design she would normally have to visit distant clifftops to see.

Asami inclined her head, considering how to answer. “It’s different. We don’t have buildings like this in the Fire Nation.” She was careful not to bring up her father now that the conversation had changed. “I’d love to talk to Tenzin about it actually, I really think some of the designs could be used-”

She stopped herself. Korra wasn’t interested in engineering. Asami looked up awkwardly, an apology already forming on her lips. But the Avatar was leaning forward, apparently engrossed in what she was saying (or at least very good at hiding her indifference). Either way, she was suddenly not sure how to act. “-to fix the coolant system problems we had on the last line of Satomobiles.”

"Uh huh," Korra nodded slowly. "That sounds.. good?" 

Asami blinked and deflated. "You don't actually know what I'm talking about do you?"

"Well no, not really." She grinned sheepishly. "But I like hearing you talk! You looked like you'd just had an idea, and even if I don't completely understand what it means it's nice to see you excited."

“Oh,” Asami’s face flushed. “Thank you.”

They talked for several hours after that. Asami gushed about the small future industries department she’d been running since she was fifteen, the improvements they’d made to almost every vehicle in the city. Korra in turn spoke about her airbender training and the task force. She admitted how much she missed her parents back in the South Pole.

Neither of them mentioned the Equalists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing fanfiction to explore the unattainable fantasy of, *checks notes* having someone listen to you talk about your hyperfixations.


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you sure?”

The pharmacist shook his head, handing back the empty pill bottle. “I’m sorry but we’ve never had anything like this in stock, Ms Sato. There’s another place a few blocks from here that might be worth checking, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up- I’ve never even heard of Future Industries producing medicine before.”

Asami frowned, examining the little golden cog on the label. She’d never really thought about where it came from before.

“Hey!” Bolin stuck his head round the door, “We got another transmission, you ready to go?”

She nodded and slipped the empty bottle into her bag. The uncomfortable heat in her core had been rising these past few days, but it was manageable. She'd find a place that sold her proper medication when they got back. 

Mako and Korra were waiting outside in the car, listening intently to the police radio. Bolin slipped into the back and Asami hurried into the driver’s seat. While she started the engine Mako leaned forward and gave her the rundown of what they knew. “Equalists were spotted on the eastern side of the city, they’re attacking a bender-run restaurant near the council building.”

Asami nodded and sped out onto the road. The electric glove weighed heavy on her hand as they passed block after block. Frantic calls for backup blared out of the radio, and a moment later the car rounded a corner to a scene of chaos.

She recognized the restaurant. It was a novelty place and the food was mediocre- the gimmick of course being that everything was cooked with firebending. How the Equalists even managed to justify targeting such an establishment was beyond her- Yet there they were, electricity crackling across the street as they fought with first-responders.

Asami hit the breaks and spun so that the car created a barrier between fleeing civilians and the Equalists. Mako was already jumping towards the enemy, hurling a great lance of fire from his fingertips. 

Korra spun water into ice with one fluid motion, trapping two Equalists in the blink of an eye while Bolin slammed a foot into the ground and raised the earth so that it blocked off any exits for the would-be attackers. 

It was over in a matter of seconds. Or at least, it should have been.

A van full of the masked cowards pulled up nearby and began climbing over Bolin’s barrier. Asami jumped out of the car and activated her glove- sending a sweeping arc of electricity towards them. She ignored the shouts as they called her a traitor, yelling obscenities as they swarmed over the wall. 

She ducked under a fist, shifting her stance before pushing both palms up into her attacker’s chin. He grunted, surprised, and she took the opportunity to sweep his legs out from under him- launching a blast of electricity into the back of his head for good measure. 

Asami lost track of her friends in the torrent of new opponents. It was distressing really, how much these people fought like her. They used the same techniques, the same moves designed to tip the scale against benders in a fight. They were sloppy though. None of them had the finesse that came with years of training. 

She danced between them, flawlessly switching between moves she’d learned as a child but secretly believed she’d never have to use. But spirits, there were so many people now. She caught a glimpse of Korra fighting three Equalists at once, her bending useless in a crowd where she could accidentally hurt an ally. Asami moved to help only for a kick to send her rolling across the ground.

She twisted, minimizing the damage and backflipping onto her feet. Electricity sparked in the gaps between her fingers.

Then the task force showed up.

The earth was ripped out from beneath her feet and used to shove her backward. Asami gasped, winded, as it wrapped around her waist. Dimly she watched as the remaining Equalists were either captured or scattered out of sight. But why was she restrained? Ah, the glove. She looked like one of them.

Now if only she could catch her breath enough to speak. 

The stone rubbed uncomfortably against her skin, little bits of gravel finding their way into her clothes. She focused on breathing- quick, shallow breaths were better than nothing at all.

Korra was the first to notice her. The Avatar’s face changed from cocky to enraged in a split second. She stormed over, arms raised to release Asami before Tarrlok grabbed her hand. They exchanged words, the councilman saying something that made Korra spark her hands into flames. The fire rippled at his feet and oh spirits, she could feel it.

It was like her core was tethered to the heat around her. 

Warmth rippled through her body, then condensed. It was a fuzzy sort of pain. The kind that settled between her eyes and drifted into her bones, that blurred her vision and made the very idea of movement seem heavy. Sweat rolled down her back and she was vaguely aware of her earth prison releasing. Asami fell forward into Korra’s arms, too delirious to be embarrassed. Dimly, she scolded herself for not buying fever mediation when she had the chance. Even if it wasn’t her prescription anything would have been better than going completely clean and then jumping into a fight. 

Everything felt muted. Korra was speaking to her, panicked whispers that she could barely comprehend. She sagged into the Avatar, dark strands of hair clinging to her face- half-lidded eyes staring at the ground.

Asami’s tongue was too heavy for sentences so she fumbled in her bag instead. “I-I need..” The heiress pressed her empty pill bottle into Korra’s hand, then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, things are getting spicy. (By spicy I mean Asami is one step closer to accidently committing arson.)


	3. Chapter 3

Korra glared at Tarrlok’s smug face, hands poised to break Asami out if she had to. “Let her go!”

The councilman smiled and shook his head, “Absolutely not. Her father is a known Equalist leader and she’s a nonbender out past curfew, I have every right to take her in for questioning.”

Korra shifted her stance forward, hands bursting into flames. The task force stepped back- bringing their hands up and readying a variety of elements. “You know she’s innocent.”

“I don’t, actually. And neither do you.”

She scowled, but a low moan stopped her from attacking. Looking behind Tarrlok, Asami was fixated on Korra’s flame. She was sweating, eyes glazed over and breathing heavily. Her head drooped to the side and her body emanated a low aura of heat. Korra frowned- running past the councilman before he had a chance to react.

Korra extinguished her fire and whirled to look at Tarrlok. “What the hell did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” To his credit, Tarrlok did look equally confused. His eyebrows knitted together and with a flick of his wrist he signaled for Asami to be released. The earth prison retracted and she fell with it, dropping into Korra’s arms. 

The Avatar held her tight, uncomfortably aware of how feverish the other woman’s skin was. Asami breathed heavily, struggling to speak. “I-I need..” She reached into her bag and pressed something into Korra’s hand before going completely limp. 

Korra slipped it into her pocket before scooping her up and glaring at Tarrlok in case he tried anything. After a pause he stepped aside with his hands raised.

"I'm not the enemy, Korra. I'm still holding out hope that we can work together."

The Avatar snorted and stalked past the councilman without a word. Mako was already in the driver’s seat of Asami's car, ready to go as Bolin helped her carefully into the back. 

The drive back to the Air Temple passed in a blur. At some point Asami opened her eyes, making no move to shift her head out of Korra’s lap. The Avatar bit her lip, gently brushing strands of hair out of the other woman’s face as Mako broke the city speed limit. “It’s okay, you don’t have to speak. We’ll figure this out.”

As soon as they reached the island Bolin ran ahead to find a healer. Mako helped Korra lift Asami out of the car and carry her slowly towards the main building. They were met halfway by a worried Tenzin who hurried them into the nearest spare room.

Asami pushed herself out of Korra’s arms and stumbled forward to sit on the bed. She looked barely lucid. Flushed, sticky, and sweat-soaked skin- a far cry from the poised and elegant figure she usually presented. She looked vulnerable.

Bolin came back with the healers- a pair of waterbenders who quickly ushered everyone out of the room. As she stepped away the Avatar could have sworn she saw the tiniest flicker of a candle flame snaking between Asami’s lips, but of course, that was impossible.

The wait was excruciating. Nobody spoke, nobody knew what to say. Bolin tried to joke a few times but his attempts to make light of the situation fell flat. Everything had happened so fast- One moment Asami was up and fighting with the rest of them, the next she was barely conscious and the worst part was nobody knew why. 

After a few minutes, Tenzin gave the group a disappointed stare. “Is somebody going to tell me what happened, or are you all going to keep standing around in silence?”

Korra threw up her arms in frustration. “I don’t know! We were fighting, then the task force showed up and they lumped Asami in with the Equalists and suddenly she was all weird and sick!” The Avatar looked away, visibly upset. “She was staring at my fire like I was going to hurt her.”

Bolin raised a hand. “She went to the pharmacy before we left. Maybe she was already sick?” He looked downcast. “..Do you think we’re bad friends not noticing something was wrong?”

“No, she’s always been good at hiding things that were affecting her,” Mako said, guilty. “Especially if she thought there was something more important going on.”

"I'm just really worried. Whatever happened, she went from completely fine to barely conscious- what if it happens again? Or gets worse?" Korra shoved her hands in her pockets, expression more than worried. After a second her fingers brushed against the bottle Asami had given her and realization seemed to dawn, she pulled it out and handed it to Tenzin. "She um, gave me this before she passed out the first time. It's empty... but maybe it’s what she needs to recover."

Tenzin examined the label, raising an eyebrow at the golden cog of Future Industries printed boldly across the side. “We’ll see. I can’t say I know much about this sort of thing, but I'll send word to the pharmacies- they should at least be able to tell us what it is."

“Thanks, Tenzin.” She smiled weakly. “I’m going to check in with the healers, see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Bolin and I should head back into the city- the Equalists aren't going to stop attacking just because one of us is sick. Plus,” Mako looked sheepish, “I don’t think we’re going to be much use with, you know.. medical stuff.”

“Yeah we suck at that!” Bolin grinned and punched the air as he walked out, “Much better at hitting bad guys, so don’t worry about the Equalists while you’re here okay?” 

He winked and Korra laughed. “Alright, thanks guys.” She waved as they shut the door and ran off towards Asami's car. Once they were out of sight she turned back towards the spare room. Occasionally shuffling could be heard from inside, but for the most part, it was quiet. The door opened smoothly and she peeked inside. Asami was lying on her back as one of the healers (a man in his late thirties, he had brown hair and a kind face) guided water across her temples. At the window, a younger woman in the same uniform flicked through a book and made the occasional note. Korra sighed in relief, they seemed calm at least.

“Ah, Avatar.” The older man looked up. “Can I help you?”

“Is she going to be okay?”

He frowned. “With the right precautions she should be fine. It’s an odd condition though, I’ve never seen anything like it.” The waterbender took Korra’s hand and placed it over Asami’s forehead, gently moving a blue tendril so it wrapped around her index finger. As soon as the water connected the Avatar could feel her friend’s rhythmic heartbeat as if it were her own. The flow of energy as it spread out along its natural pathways and then.. Stopped.

“Firebenders have additional arteries to control their flow of chi,” the waterbender kept talking through Korra’s stunned silence. “But in Ms. Sato’s case, she has the equivalent of a blood clot- layers of blocked chi that after several years are only now beginning to break down.”

“But Asami isn’t a bender, she doesn't have chi!” None of this made sense. 

“She most certainly does. It’s possible she wasn’t even aware of it herself, but biologically the evidence is there.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes, “The problem of course is that even with blockers in place, your friend’s body has kept producing it at a normal rate. With nowhere to go, that power is like a dam waiting to burst- and I'd hate to be in the blast radius when it finally happens."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently the slowburn tag was in reference to how long it's going to take for Asami to produce some fucking fire.
> 
> In other news, I think I've figured out why I enjoy writing this so much- there are no standards. I don't have to edit 300 times because nobody's paying me, it's a bit like putting my slippers on haha


	4. Chapter 4

Asami woke up slowly. She lay on her back, hazily staring up at the wooden ceiling of the room she was in. Spirits, she couldn't remember anything. This was obviously the Air Temple but-

"You're awake!" Suddenly her vision was obscured by a mass of brown hair and a worried face. “The healers said you’d feel strange after last night, how much do you remember?”

She gingerly sat up in bed, pushing Korra’s face away with one hand. “I’m fine.” Asami's voice sounded raspy and uncertain, even to herself. 

The last thing she remembered was the earth prison, and then.. Oh, she’d been an idiot. Of course she couldn’t go that long without her medication- and getting into a fight? Pushing through the fever was hard enough, even without physical exercise.

Speaking of fever- it was gone. Her body was sore and strangely heavy, but there was no overbearing heat in her core. Asami frowned and glanced up at Korra- an unspoken question written across her face.

"Oh! Yeah, the healers brought in a-" The watertribe girl hesitated. "Actually I'm really sorry, we might have invaded your privacy by accident. The healers found some stuff and I'm not sure if you wanted to hide it or didn't know, but if it's a secret I promise I haven't told anyone or-"

"Korra," Asami's throat felt like sandpaper. "You're rambling. Can you get me some water?"

She didn't mean to be so blunt, but her head was pounding. Korra seems to understand though. The Avatar nodded, slipping out of the room- it gave her time to think at least. 

So, Korra knew about her condition. Asami swung her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. She appreciated the other woman keeping quiet, it wasn't exactly something she wanted the world to know. But the way the Avatar had reacted bothered her somewhat- she didn't want Korra to pity her. Agni's fire, she'd done enough of that years ago. 

The fact that she needed medication didn't take away from her accomplishments. Asami knew that, but the idea of her only friends treating her differently suddenly made her feel very, very small. 

Korra came back rather quickly, glass in hand. She gave it to the heiress who took a long sip before speaking. "So what were you trying to say?" 

“I-” The Avatar sat down and scratched her neck, her awkwardness only serving to reaffirm Asami’s anxieties. After a full minute of silence, Korra finally blurted- “Do you know you’re a firebender?”

Asami choked on her water. 

Whatever she was expecting, it wasn’t that. A bubble of anger rose in her throat. Korra should know she was emotionally vulnerable, it wasn’t the time to joke. But.. the Avatar didn’t look like she was joking. She'd had the same expression of certainty all those nights ago in Hiroshi's workshop.

"I'm not a bender, Korra." Asami couldn't help a slightly exasperated tone. No matter how honest the other woman was being, the idea was still ridiculous. "I'm immunocompromised. I've just run out of medication, once I find a supplier I'll be fine- spirits, where did you even get that idea?"

Korra looked at her sadly. She didn't say anything, just held out her hands and let a tiny flame flicker between her palms. 

Asami opened her mouth to give a slightly firmer rejection, then gasped. There was a swelling in her core. Fever exploded like some great beast shoving at the walls of its cage. She clutched her chest, sweat rolling down her face, and then-

The Avatar closed her hands; heat snuffed out to smoldering embers. 

Asami stared wide-eyed at the floor and took a long moment to compose herself. Her heart was racing. 

That wasn't a normal reaction to fire. But she wasn't a bender- that was impossible. She'd know, and even if it was somehow dormant why would that change? What was different? The only notable thing was.. She was off her medication. 

Medication provided by her father.

Asami swallowed. Memories of a childhood spent bedridden flashed in her mind. The crippling loneliness, the awful fevers. She remembered having to work ten times harder than anyone else after her recovery- all the sleepless nights and looks of pity. 

Oh, there was no blissful ignorance for Asami Sato. Her mind was too fast for that. All the little puzzle pieces slotted together and distantly, she realized she was crying. 

Daddy’s fucking helpless little girl. 

Grief quickly turned to anger- as it so often did. She didn’t even consider the bending. It was the time lost that filled her with a sharp sort of rage. Time taken by her father while he sat at her bedside and offered gentle reassurance. He’d seemed so honest that night under the estate- so sure that bending was the cause of all the injustices in the world.

Asami stood up and hurled her glass at the wall. It shattered, shards flying out and turning the floor into a mess of broken blades. Korra flinched. “Asami-”

She whirled on the Avatar. "How the _fuck_ do you keep knowing things about my life before I do?!" 

The expression on Korra’s face took all the fury out of her. She shouldn’t lash out at the other woman, she was better than that. Asami sat down and winced apologetically at the broken glass on the floor. “Sorry. Sorry, I.. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“It’s okay,” Korra gave her an awkward half-grin. “It’s kind of a lot huh? I don’t blame you for being upset.”

Of course she wouldn’t- Korra always seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve. It was a baffling way to live, but Asami often wished she could be as open with her emotions. “I still shouldn’t have taken it out on you though, not when you’re only trying to help.” -not when she was only ever trying to help. 

“That’s nothing, you should see me fighting with Tenzin.” Korra sighed, scratching the back of her neck. “You probably don’t want me piling more things on top of you at the moment, but there’s something else you should know. Apparently whatever was messing with your chi didn’t stop your body from producing the stuff, and now it’s just sort of..”

“..trapped?” Asami finished, unconsciously placing a hand over her core.

Korra nodded. “The healers had to bring in a chi-blocker otherwise you would’ve, um.. Exploded.” She looked sheepish.

"But it's okay!" the Avatar continued, rambling past Asami's misgivings. "You're not in danger anymore, and I'm sure we can figure out how to release it safely- then I can teach you firebending moves! They're pretty similar to how you fight anyway- I guess that's because you're from the Fire Nation, wait, are you from the Fire Nation? Or did you grow up in Republic City? You never actually said, but anyway.."

Asami blinked. Spirits, Korra really just said whatever came into her head. It was refreshing to not have to constantly guess what the other woman was thinking at least. "What exactly do you mean by ‘release it’?"

“If we let your pent-up chi out safely, your fevers will stop.” Korra offered a reassuring grin. “Tenzin thinks you should learn the basic firebending forms first, but once that’s done we can go someplace secluded for you to release your fire if that’s what you want to do.”

“What about Mako and Bolin?”

“We haven’t told them, we weren’t sure if you wanted anyone to know.”

Asami nodded to herself. Spirits, this was a lot- but now that there was a plan she felt more in control of the situation. She was nothing if not adaptable after all, and she found Korra’s grin to be rather contagious.

Asami Sato, the firebender. 

It was odd to connect the title with herself- the word didn’t quite seem to fit.

_Firebender._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just have to let characters say fuck.

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy my writing? Come talk to me on the discord server! https://discord.gg/RKVV9yPtQj


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